2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 118

Day 118, Friday, February 14, 2025, Meaher State Park, Spanish Fort, AL, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 3,744.4 Miles for the Trip

Happy Valentine's Day!

We finally got back to the cool nights I prefer. 43°F at 7:00AM. While I'll miss the mid 70 degree days, the cooler nights are more comfortable for sleeping. I did run the electric heater to keep the head of the bed at 62°F.

I walked around the outside loop of the campground this morning - about seven tenths of a mile. The bathrooms with showers are still closed but the attached laundry is still open. Cool at 11:00AM ( 55°F), but at least there is plenty of sun.

After lunch I moved outside. It warmed up to the mid 60's, and hit 71°F by 3:00. I'm reading Estleman's Witchfinder, after which I'll take a break from the Walker series. I finished listening to Mike Lawson's Alligator Alley, the DeMarco 16 audio book and started another audio book - A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke.

The campground is close to full. While a few left this morning, just as many pulled in during the afternoon. I suspect they will be able to fill the additional 45 sites the new addition will provide.

Since it is nice out, I dug out the grill and made a Butterball turkey burger along with a salad for dinner.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 117

Day 117, Thursday, February 13, 2025, Meaher State Park, Spanish Fort, AL - 71.6 Miles, 3,744.4 Miles for the Trip

Another warm night, although it started cooling down to 69°F by 7:00AM, and got cooler throughout the morning. 

After my walk & breakfast I took my time packing up since I only had around 70 miles to Meaher State Park. I still did not get a bill from Wandering Oaks and will give them a call to see what is up. I asked & received a bill for Wandering Oaks - $42.85 per night.

I left Wandering Oaks around 11:00 and arrived at Meaher State Park around 12:30, an hour and a half before check in time. Luckily, no one was in site 60 so I didn't need to wait until 2:00. Site 60 is a full hook up pull through site on asphalt with a picnic table and charcoal grill. A long walk to the showers, and there is an active construction site across the street. I assume they shut down at night. $55.75 with taxes & fees per night although the price per night is different depending on the day. I checked with the check in office & I'm eligible for a 15% senior discount, so the new price is $47.51 per night. I'm here for 7 nights. 

Site 60

In the background you can see one of the new buildings, hopefully containing a bathroom with showers. While the expansion will add 45 new sites as well as 4 cabins, it has a completion date of January 2025; they didn't make it.

I walked around the campground & found a bathroom not too far away, but without showers. There is a larger bathroom with showers however it is closed since it is getting new paint. I hope is is only for a day or two. I found Escape 21 from MA in another row but didn't meet the owner.

I ran the usual speed tests for the internet. AT&T came out at 16Mbps down & .92Mbps up, Verizon 7.69Mbps down & 1.15Mbps up. The Starlink Mini showed 134Mbps down & 4.85Mbps up. I'm sticking with the Mini since, while AT&T looks good on a test, it is very slow when viewing websites.

After that I headed to Walmart. They had 1 case of Lemon-Lime Gatorade Zero so I bought it. It is the end of the season, so they had flannel shirts on sale for $3.00 as well as a medium weight jacket for $3.00. Tough to find either in a large - stacks of small & 4X, but I found & bought one of each for a whole $6.00. 

Back at the trailer the construction folks have already left for the day by 4:00. There is traffic noise from US 90, but while you can see I 10 across the bay, it is far enough away that I don't hear anything from it. It made it up to 66°F today, and is expected to go down to 45°F tonight. Rain is predicted over the weekend.

Dinner was a Healthy Choice Sweet & Sour Chicken Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 116

Day 116, Wednesday, February 12, 2025, Wandering Oaks RV Park, Milton, FL, Day 7 - 0 Miles, 3,672.8 Miles for the Trip

A warm night - 73°F was the low inside the trailer & 69°F outside. No rain, but lots of humidity. After my morning walk & breakfast I read forums & journals for awhile, then put together the start of the 2026 Rally Map. This will be the 3rd year I've maintained the Google Fiberglass Trailer Rally Map and since the dates for the February Quartzsite rally were announced on the Casita Forum, it was time to start the new map. 

After lunch a fellow Escape owner stopped by to say hello. Mike lives a couple of miles from Milton and we had a nice chat. 

I sat outside for a bit reading. Current book is Loren D. Estleman's Walker #12 Never Street. Depending on which list you go by, the next in the series The Witchfinder is also #12, but the one after that, The Hours of the Virgin is listed as #14. In any case I'll be taking a break from detective Walker after The Witchfinder.

Dinner was a salad.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 115

Day 115, Tuesday, February 11, 2025, Wandering Oaks RV Park, Milton, FL, Day 6 - 0 Miles, 3,672.8 Miles for the Trip

A little cooler at 59°F this morning. About the same when I went for my morning walk - I wore a long sleeved shirt. 

After breakfast I checked on when we could make reservations for the trip to Michigan & the Algonac Rally. The Canadian one day stops can be reserved on March 1 & 4, while reservations for Algonac State Park start on March 3rd, so it is a bit early. 

I spent most of the day sitting inside. While it isn't raining, it is about as close as it can get. Very gloomy & 67°F outside with enough wind to make it unpleasant. A light rain started around 12:45. I finished Walker #10 Silent Thunder, and started #11 Sweet Women Lie.

After the rain stopped, and with a forecast of all day rain tomorrow, I hooked up the truck and dumped the tanks. While a brief flash of sunlight appeared, it quickly went back to gloom. At least it isn't raining. Well, it is now. A light rain started around 2:24. It got more serious around 4:15, but no thunder or lightning.

Dinner was a Boston Market Chicken Pot Pie. I tried cooking it in the toaster oven to see how well it worked. Better in the real oven - the temperature variation in the toaster oven cooks the pie unevenly.

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 114

Day 114, Monday, February 10, 2025, Wandering Oaks RV Park, Milton, FL, Day 5 - 0 Miles, 3,672.8 Miles for the Trip

Down to 63°F this morning, and it didn't make it to the 70's by 1:00. Around 11:00 I changed the sheets and headed to the park laundry. Three top load washers at $1.75 each and 4 dryers, of which only 2 were working at $1.50 per load. The dryers run either 30 minutes or 40 minutes; there are signs on the wall stating both. In any case, the dryer with my bedding needed a second run.

Around 1:00 I headed to Great Clips for a haircut. $19.00 plus tip for my usual #3 buzz. I thought I had used one of them before, but there are so many "....Clips/Cuts" barber shops in malls that I probably used a competitor. I usually try for a old time barber, but it seems most of them are now appointment only so there is an advantage to the malls. Another advantage was the Publix next door - I did a bit of shopping. For some reason, the lemon-lime Gatorade Zero isn't stocked in the area. I've tried to find it in 3 grocery stores plus Walmart, and no luck. The sugar version is available, but I can't deal with that much sugar. I'll keep looking. 

Back at the trailer I headed for a shower to get rid of the itching caused by the short hairs left over after a haircut. The AC was in the heat mode (70°F outside) so it was nicer than the last visit.

After that it was back to reading. I finished Loren D. Estleman's Walker #7 Lady Yesterday and since I read #8, General Murders and #9 Downriver in 2011, I started Walker #10 Silent Thunder. They are short books, 3-4 hours reading time.

Dinner was a P. F. Chang's Orange Chicken Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 113

Day 113, Sunday, February 9, 2025, Wandering Oaks RV Park, Milton, FL, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 3,672.8 Miles for the Trip

A bit cooler overnight, hitting a low of 64°F at 6:00AM. I slept in a bit longer than usual so I could listen to the puzzle on Weekend Edition on NPR. As usual, I didn't get the weekly puzzle (although I never try all that hard) but did do OK on the answers to the ones they did with today's winner. 

After my morning walk & breakfast I sat in the trailer & read forums & journals. I got a call from a neighbor in Oswego that this morning the snowplow took out both our mailboxes. He is trying to get mine put back together enough that the mailman will still drop mail off at the house. I suspect I'll need a new one when I get back in the Spring.

I made my usual Sunday phone calls - as expected, Brian (my daughter's husband) was furloughed. He didn't work directly for USAID, but his company managed many of their projects. The folks working overseas for his company are still being paid until they can come home, but the company is not getting any money. Most of the staff lost their jobs. 

Dinner was a Boston Market Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 112

 Day 112, Saturday, February 8, 2025, Wandering Oaks RV Park, Milton, FL, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 3,672.8 Miles for the Trip

Yesterday I met Brandon, one of the caretakers here at the park. I forgot to tell him that the 30 amp connector was reverse polarized, but he did mention that they cleared the area behind the park, so I walked to the end this morning. Now the morning walk is almost a mile. During my walk I listened to Mike Lawson's DeMarco #16 Alligator Alley. I decided that I'd listen to one rather than reading. It goes much slower, but I am getting towards the end of the series. Not so for Lauren D. Estleman's Walker series - I'm reading Every Brilliant Eye, #6 out of 33. While I like the author, I'm not sure I can do 27 more in a row.

A gloomy but warm morning at 70°F by 11:00AM. After finishing my coffee I headed outside. Up to 73°F by 3:00. 

Around 4:00 a guy pulled in, stopped & asked if I was the host or manager. I explained that there wasn't one & he should have received a text with his site number. He looked, couldn't find anything & got on the phone. He discovered that his reservation was at the KOA, and his phone sent him here. He left saying that it was a 45 minute drive to the KOA. I hope he put the right KOA in his phone; there is a KOA 7 miles from here as well as one 31 miles away.

That was the excitement for the day. 

Dinner was an El Monterey Chicken Fajita Enchilada Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 111

Day 111, Friday, February 7, 2025, Wandering Oaks RV Park, Milton, FL, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 3,672.8 Miles for the Trip

Another warm night in the high 60's. I ran the MAXX fan all night with the front & back windows open. 

A walk around the perimeter of the park is a little under 1/2 mile. There is a laundry & a bathroom building with a single family room bathroom for each sex. 

Around 10:00 I received a notice from Amazon that my package arrived at the UPS store so I headed out. Walgreens couldn't find my prescriptions until I showed them the text stating they were ready. After that they found they made a typo on the computer & eventually found them. The pick up at the UPS store went fine, and Walmart had most of the stuff I was looking for.

Back at the RV Park I headed for the bathroom / shower. Even though it was 74°F outside the AC was running and it was a bit cool for showering, but overall it was nice. A couple of demerits - the water control is on the opposite wall from the shower so it takes a long time to adjust it. No shelf or soap dish in the shower. The drying area is the entire bathroom & a lip on the shower keeps the floor dry. There is even a bath mat, a bench & 6 hooks. Slightly soft water requiring a longer rinse than usual, but overall a B+.

I had some frozen Buffalo Chicken Wings from TDI Fridays for lunch. A bit hotter than the usual Buffalo wings I've had at home (200 miles from Buffalo).

Around 4:30 I received a text that my prescription was ready at Walgreens. Since I already picked it up I called & hopefully, they canceled the order. While a 24 hour pharmacy, not the most together I've stopped at.

Back at the trailer I sat outside and did some reading. I finished Loren D. Estleman's Sugartown, and started House Standoff, Mike Lawson's DeMarco #15.

Dinner was a Banquet Country Fried Chicken Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 110

Day 110, Thursday, February 6, 2025, Wandering Oaks RV Park, Milton, FL - 102.1 Miles, 3,672.8 Miles for the Trip

The campground was still full when I did my morning walk, although there were a couple of other RVs packing up & heading out today. After breakfast I spent some time on the internet reading forums & journals, then finished packing up the trailer to head west.

No one in line at the dump station, although as soon as I stopped someone pulled up behind me. I hate to have someone waiting behind me, although I tend to dump much faster than most since I have relatively small tanks (29 gallons) and they are rarely full. In any case, I dumped & headed out of the campground around 11:00.

I stopped at Love's # 561 about 1/2 way to Milton, used my membership app and paid 2.69 per gallon for regular. Much better than the $3.00 at both ends of the drive. 

I arrived at Wandering Oaks around 12:45, found site 3 and set up. Lots of traffic noise, something I haven't had for months of staying at state parks, although inside the trailer is isn't bad, and with the windows closed even better. Fairly level site (1" correction side to side & none needed for the tongue. Since I'm staying for a week, I unhooked the truck. 

The site has a small concrete slab, a small concrete picnic table, and is on fine gravel with full hookups. Since I dumped on the way out of Falling Waters, I didn't hook up to the sewers, but may dump on my way out. I started with the 30 amp receptacle, but my Progressive Industries power monitor wouldn't connect the trailer, showing a P1 error or reverse polarity. I used my adapter to connect to the 50 amp receptacle & everything worked.

Site 3

Lots of shade from the oaks, most of which have lots of leaves. Good thing AT&T is fast at 43.66Mbps down & 18.21Mbps up since it would be impossible to find a clear view of the northern sky for the Starlink Mini. $50.00 per night although there might be a discount for a full week stay. They bill at the end of the stay, and I only paid a deposit.

I thought about going to Walgreens since they let me know the usual 3 ways (text, email & a phone call) that my prescriptions are ready, and according to my Garmin they are about 5 miles away, but since the stuff from Amazon isn't due until tomorrow, I can make 3 stops, Walgreens, the UPS store, and Walmart and in that order they line up to a 9.3 mile trip. By the way, I just watched an Amazon Prime truck make a stop here in the campground, so I guess I could have saved at least one stop tomorrow.

It hit 77°F outside & 80°F in the trailer so I fired up the AC. Now, at 2:30 most of the sun is behind clouds and the outside temperature is down to 75°F so I went back to the MAXX fan & open windows.

Dinner was a Scott & Jon's Shrimp Scampi Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 109

Day 109, Wednesday, February 5, 2025, Falling Waters State Park, Chipley, FL, Day 8 - 0 Miles, 3,570.7 Miles for the Trip

A warm night at 61°F. Cloudy this morning & 65°F for my morning walk. Still 4 sites open although I watched a few packing up. 

After breakfast I called a couple of prescriptions into my eye doctor. They have a new prescription system that I hope works for refills to a temporary pharmacy. I do miss the good old days when you actually talked to someone. Well, it worked - I received a text at 12:30 that the order was "in process" at the correct pharmacy.

I'm suppose to get a call this week from Wandering Oaks RV Park telling me what site I'll be in tomorrow. So far, no call - I'll call them later today if I don't hear from them. Since they mentioned that the manager is not on site, it would be useful to know where I'm going! After calling them I got a text letting my know I'm heading for site 3.

I made a 5:00 loop around the campground. Not only are all the RV sites filled, but there is someone set up in an unmarked area next to one of the host sites. The two tent only sites are still open. There are three of us from New York.

I finished Mike Lawson's Joe DeMarco #14, House Privilege, and started Loren D. Estleman's Sugartown

After my walk I sat outside for a bit, then moved inside for dinner. It was 73°F and cloudy outside.

Dinner was a turkey burger & salad.

After dinner I packed up the grill and entry way rug. While I usually unhook the water to avoid freezing my fingers in the morning, no need with the current weather. I am only driving 110 miles and the next park has a 1:00 check in time so I'm in no hurry to get out of here.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 108

Day 108, Tuesday, February 4, 2025, Falling Waters State Park, Chipley, FL, Day 7 - 0 Miles, 3,570.7 Miles for the Trip

A foggy morning but warm at 56°F. I counted 3 empty sites during my morning walk. This campground seems to run the opposite of typical - only half full on the weekends, but near full during the week with many one night stays.

After breakfast I called Escape to get a price on a replacement kitchen window. As expected, not inexpensive. With shipping, a crating fee & the price of the window, around $500.00. Still, I really need the window and with it currently zip tied closed, I can't open my most used window. They will shoot for the date I'm back in Oswego for an arrival.

After that I sat outside & read, #13 in the Joe DeMarco series, House Arrest. 64°F by 11:00AM, and the fog has burned off. A high of 75°F for the day

After lunch I pretty much did the same as before - sat outside ducking between sun & shade reading. I finished House Arrest and started #14 House Privilege. I did do a late afternoon walk around the campground and there still only 3 empty sites, but different ones from this morning.

Dinner was an Amy's Tortilla Casserole & Black Beans Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 107

Day 107, Monday, February 3, 2025, Falling Waters State Park, Chipley, FL, Day 6 - 0 Miles, 3,570.7 Miles for the Trip

A little cooler overnight at 48°F, but it warmed up to 54°F by the time I did my morning walk. Only 4 empty sites during the morning walk.

After breakfast I sat outside starting in the sun and moving to the shade around 11:00 when it got too hot. The high for the day was 77°F.

After lunch I made a run to the Brickyard Market to pick up some Gatorade. Heavy traffic on FL 77. 

Back at the trailer I placed an order with Amazon and had it delivered to an Amazon Locker. More sitting around reading. Current book is Mike Lawson's Joe DeMarco #12, House Witness. There are 18 books in the series, and they are fast reads. With only 6 more, I will probably try to get through all of them in order.

I headed to the showers around 3:30, then read a bit more. 

Dinner was a P. F. Chang's Chicken Lo Mein bowl.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 106

Day 106, Sunday, February 2, 2025, Falling Waters State Park, Chipley, FL, Day 5 - 0 Miles, 3,570.7 Miles for the Trip

A low of 50°F last night & 52°F for my morning walk. The campground is still only half full. 

Around 11:00 I moved out of the trailer to sit in the sun. Started reading the 11th book in the Joe DeMarco series by Mike Lawson, House Revenge.

A few new arrivals, although most of them are replacing someone who left, we are still less than half full. My "new" neighbor in the 32' trailer left this morning, and was replaced by another 32' trailer this afternoon. I discovered another nice thing about my small trailer. It takes far less time to set up. I can set the trailer up in 10 minutes, less if I'm in a hurry. Both of my neighbors spent more than a half hour setting up. I'm not sure why it takes longer for a larger trailer since the same stuff is done for both; maybe it is just more walking to get around the larger trailer. 

A nice day with clear skies & 72°F for most of the afternoon. It even reached the point where I was looking for shade rather than sitting in the sun. 

Dinner was a pork chop and salad.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 105

Day 105, Saturday, February 1, 2025, Falling Waters State Park, Chipley, FL, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 3,570.7 Miles for the Trip

While one blanket was fine overnight, it did go down to 47°F outside & 62°F in the trailer. I still wore shorts for my morning walk; it was 52°F by then. While this may be a favorite stop for overnighters, it isn't a weekend hotspot. During my walk there were only 4 RVs other than the host sites, and not many came in during the day. The campground has 3 host sites, quite a few for a campground with 24 sites. By 4:00 the campground was only half filled.

By 10:00 it was warm enough to sit outside (as long as you were in the sun). The high for the day was 68°F. I spent most of it sitting outside reading. Currently on Joe DeMarco #10, House Rivals by Mike Lawson. Around 1:00 I threw a pork chop on the grill and warmed up part of a can of Bush beans for a late lunch/early dinner. I did get a new neighbor in a large tow behind. I thought I had a lot of trailer for one person; he has a 32' travel trailer & is solo (well he does have a dog).

More sitting outside & reading, but once the sun went behind the trees it quickly cooled enough to chase me inside. 

Dinner was lunch.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 104

Day 104, Friday, January 31, 2025, Falling Waters State Park, Chipley, FL, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 3,570.7 Miles for the Trip

Another warm night - it didn't go below 60°F; time to switch back to only one blanket on the bed. It was warm enough that I switched to shorts for the first time in months. When I went for my walk the campground only had one of two empty tent sites & two empty RV sites, one of which was the Escape 5.0TA that came in yesterday. This campground is used by a number of one nighters. On my way back from doing laundry there were 10 empty RV sites and both tent sites. 

I changed the sheets, then went to the Country Clean Laundromat six miles from the campground. Small, but clean. No top loader machines - 6 4 load front loader that were $5.75 per load and 5 6 load machines that I didn't price. The dryers were 4 minutes per quarter. All could be fed using a Speed Queen app, but I used quarters. Comfortable folding chairs, a bathroom & working change machine. 4 large clothes folding tables. Cute signs such as "All unattended children will be sold to the circus".

I made a short stop at Piggy Wiggly on the way back. Sat outside in 72°F cloudy skies for about a half hour before it started to rain. Light rain for half an hour with the promise (at least according to my weather app) for more to come. 

Yesterday I finished both Louise Penny's The Grey Wolf and Mike Lawson's House Odds. Last night I started House Reckoning, #9 in Mike Lawson's DeMarco series. The first half of this book would make more sense to be read first since it deals with the death of his father and the start of his career working for the Speaker of the House, although I guess it was necessary to do this to set up the second half of the book. Overall, an enjoyable, well written, and unfortunately, believable series.

Dinner was a Cheese Brat & salad.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 103

Day 103, Thursday, January 30, 2025, Falling Waters State Park, Chipley, FL, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 3,570.7 Miles for the Trip

A warm night with a low of 54°F. There were only 2 empty sites during my morning walk, although a few moved out during the morning. By 11:00 it hit 65°F.

The campground was down to about 1/2 full by noon, then folks started arriving, including an Escape 5TA. The owners of the Escape stopped by to chat. By 4:00 it was almost full. 

I did a speed test using Verizon & AT&T: Verizon showed 75.65Mbps down & 23.42Mbps up, while AT&T was 43.86Mbps down & 10.34Mbps up. Since I only have 4 days left on this Verizon cycle, a went with them. Didn't bother to set up the Starlink Mini.

Around 3:00 I headed for a shower. The last time I was here I rated the shower in the main men's bathroom a B-. This time I used one of the two family/handicapped bathrooms. A large room with a shower, toilet & sink. Towards the shower is a large bench and 5 hooks on the wall. A flat floor to allow wheelchairs into the shower. The main shower head is a 4" multi setting one with both a fine & course spray. There is also a 4" handheld shower. Plenty of adjustable hot water & a soap dish in the shower. While there is no lip between the shower and the rest of the room and some water runs out into the main room, it is large enough that you can find a dry area to dress. Overall rating is an A.

Back at the trailer it was still warm enough to sit outside. 72°F at 5:00.

Dinner was a Butterball cheeseburger & chips.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 102

Day 102, Wednesday, January 29, 2025, Falling Waters State Park, Chipley, FL - 49.2 Miles, 3,570.7 Miles for the Trip

A warm (at least for the last couple of weeks) overnight with morning temperature hitting 41°F. Quite a few RVs left this morning - there were 5 empty sites during my morning walk. After breakfast I read then slowly packed up the trailer for a move. I left the campground around 11:30AM. Most of the drive was on I 10. 

When I arrived at Chipley it was still only 12:30 so I stopped at the Walmart 4 miles from the campground for some supplies. I pulled into the campground at 1:20. My site was available, so I headed in and was set up by 2:00. Site 21 is longer than site 6 (where I stayed in November). More level - I only needed to drop the tongue 1", and side to side was good. The site is on gravel with a picnic table & fire ring with a small tent pad. A fence backs the site, so those with long trailers won't be able to overhang the stop blocks. I'm here for 8 nights at $28.46 per night including taxes & fees.

Site 21

It is wonderfully warm at 73°F, so after setting up I dug out the folding chair and sat out and read. Around 4:00 I headed in to fire up the oven and do my afternoon exercises. 

Dinner was half of a Better Goods Mushroom & Truffle Pizza.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 101

 Day 101, Monday, January 28, 2025, Three Rivers State Park, Sneads, FL, Day 5 - 0 Miles, 3,521.5 Miles for the Trip

Had some excitement at home - the hot water stopped working, and of course it was a weekend so they didn't come to fix it until Monday morning. They fixed it but I haven't received the bill so don't know what they did. One thing they did that they shouldn't have was disconnected the "C" wire to the upstairs thermostat. Since Kyle stays mostly in his basement room, he didn't notice it cooling off (it was in the low 30's during the day, going down to 16°F overnight). I happened to check the on line status of the thermostat & is was off line. Called Kyle, he checked and it was cold upstairs. Called the heating people & they immediately sent someone out, reconnected the "C" wire and all is well. Hope they don't charge for the extra call to fix their mistake.

During an evening walk last night I discovered a Casita nearby, although it was gone by 9:30AM. Lots of sunshine this morning and 47°F at 8:30, 52°F at 11:00AM. During my walk this morning I found only one open site before a couple of trailers left. While it had a reserved sign on it, I'm not sure the park is still following the sign at the entrance to the campground. It says you can take any site that doesn't have a reserved sign, but when I arrived my site didn't have one. I suspect they keep track of on line reservations & make new ones at the park entrance station. In any case, we are near full.

A Casita

I sat outside for awhile. As long as the sun was shining, the 56°F didn't feel all that cold, but as clouds moved in it got chilly & I headed inside. I finished Mike Lawson's House Divided and started Louise Penny's The Grey Wolf. Very different writing styles that take a bit of getting used to. 

I didn't bother doing any early packing of the trailer. I only have to go 47 miles tomorrow to get to Falling Water State Park. I stayed there for 4 days in November on the way down and liked the park and area. I'll be in a different site that is a bit further from the bathrooms & dumpsters.

Enough sun came out that I sat outside and read for more of the afternoon, then chatted with an Eco owner.

Dinner was an El Monterey Chicken Enchilada Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 100

Day 100, Monday, January 27, 2025, Three Rivers State Park, Sneads, FL, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 3,521.5 Miles for the Trip

A very light rain during the night, and off & on during the morning as well as the rest of the day. Enough to wet the road but you usually can't hear it on the roof. It made it up to 50°F by 11:00 AM, still with light rain off & on. I'm sitting in the trailer reading. I'll have to finish Mike Lawson's House Divided soon. I finally got my slot for Louise Penny's The Grey Wolf that I put on a hold in November. It is from the North Country Library which only does 14 day loans rather than the 21 day loans from the NY Public Library. 

My Kindle is driving me crazy. If I buy a book or take out a library loan the book appears in my library, but won't download unless I restart the Kindle. It immediately appears in the Kindle app on my iPhone or iPad and immediately downloads. I contacted Kindle help & they said it takes at least 24 hours for a new purchase to be available. WRONG! They are available immediately in the apps, but even a week later I still need to restart the Kindle to download the book. I think I whined about this earlier in the trip, but since I bought 2 books & one library loan today it is annoying.

Since I received my retirement 1099R's, I spent the rest of the morning doing my income tax. Glad mine is simple & done.

While it was predicted to hit 61°F today, it never got above 53°F, and like all clammy days, felt cooler than that. After finishing my taxes I went for a short walk between showers. There are 3 empty sites in the campground. Back at the trailer I did more reading.

Dinner was a Healthy Choice Salsa Verde Chicken.

Until Next Time -

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 99

Day 99, Sunday, January 26, 2025, Three Rivers State Park, Sneads, FL, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 3,521.5 Miles for the Trip

Another slightly warmer night, 29°F at 7:00AM. Clear skies and 49°F by 11:00AM. 

During my morning walk I found 3 empty sites, although during breakfast at least one RV pulled out. Still a popular campground. One row of 7 sites plus a cabin are on the shore of Lake Seminole. No swimming because of alligators, although this time of year they are in brumation (yes, I had to look that up), but there is a fishing pier & boat launch just for the campers.

More photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

It reached 62°F so I dug out the camping chair and sat outside in the sun reading. While a few folks left during the day, more arrived. I only see one empty site besides the non reservable first come site #1.

Around 3:30 I headed for the showers. Florida does not spend much money on heat. There is a large AC that is a heat pump attached to the building and it does provide a bit of warming, but the hidden thermostat must be set at 55°F because that was about the temperature in the building. 3 showers, one disabled. I used the center one which has a soap dish, medium volume low pressure shower head (the same one I carry with me) and a 2" lip between the shower & drying area. A shower curtain between and the shower head 180° to the curtain. 

10 hooks in the drying area as well as a large bench. A little water gets around the stiff shower curtain, but most of the drying area floor stays dry. Plenty of adjustable hot water. Overall, a B+ (an A if the room was warmer).

Back at the trailer I read outside for awhile, then started dinner.

Dinner was a baked Barber Chicken Cordon Bleu, baked potato, and creamed spinach.

Until Next Time - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 98

Day 98, Saturday, January 25, 2025, Three Rivers State Park, Sneads, FL, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 3,521.5 Miles for the Trip

There was a bit of improvement of the overnight temperature - it only went down to 26°F. Lots of morning sun, it hit 40°F by 10:00 AM. After my morning walk & breakfast I did my usual forums & journals, then read on the Kindle.

I just noticed there is a fruit tree behind my trailer. Looks like oranges, but could be lemons or grapefruit. All are too high to reach.

An Orange Tree

I went to Piggy Wiggly to get some resupplies which included a cooked pork chop which with a salad was lunch. 

I finished The Glass Highway by Loren D. Estleman and started House Justice by Mike Lawson. I thought about heading for a shower, but they had the bathroom door propped open so the inside temperature was about the same as the outside at 52°F, so I'll wait until tomorrow.

I'm still stuffed from lunch so it will be cheese & crackers for dinner.

Until Next Time - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 97

Day 97, Friday, January 24, 2025, Three Rivers State Park, Sneads, FL - 143.7 Miles, 3,521.5 Miles for the Trip

Well last night was, I hope, the coldest for awhile. 25°F for a low, although it was at 32°F by 10:30. I did my morning loop around the campground during which I found a Casita that must have moved in late last night, chatted with my neighbor, read some forums & journals, ate breakfast, then finished packing up the trailer for a move. I stopped at Tractor Supply to top off a propane tank (3.9 gallons, so it wasn't quite empty) and pick up some of the nitrile gloves I use when dumping the trailer tanks. My box of 50 pairs from Harbor Freight is almost empty. 

Almost all of the drive was on I 10. While the road was dry, there was quite a bit of snow on the sides, more as you got further west. I crossed a time zone just before getting to the Sneads exit and reached the campground around 12:15 where I had the usual battle trying to get the laptop & iPhone to accept a change to a time zone when you are only a few miles into the new one.

I'm in site 2, a back in site that is a bit tight to get into, but level enough once you are in that I didn't need leveling. Since I'm here for 5 nights, I did unhook although I didn't need to. The site is a water & electric site on gravel with a picnic table & fire pit for $18.70 per night including reservation fee & taxes. Since we are still expecting a cold night at 28°F, I didn't hook up to the water spigot. They are letting it drip since it isn't frost proof. The bathrooms are a short walk away and heated. There are 30 sites in the campground and only a couple are empty. They had about 4" of snow, most of which has melted. There are a few snowmen around and I watched some kids having a snowball fight.

Site 2

A Bit of Snow

A Melting Snowman

I checked out which modem worked best and am glad I have Starlink. AT&T for the most part didn't connect or gave errors, Verizon was 4.1Mbps down & .2Mbps up, and the Starlink Mini without tilt but aligned was 66.39Mbps down & 7.25Mbps up. 

There is both a news NPR station (WFSU at 88.9Mhz) as well as a classical station at 91.5Mhz that may or may not be NPR. I listened to Science Friday for a couple hours during the afternoon. I finished listening to The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton as I pulled into the campground. Last night I finished House Secrets by Mike Lawson & started The Glass Highway by Loren D. Estleman. I downloaded Frames by Loren D. Estleman, a non Walker book.

Dinner was a Saffron Road Chicken Tikka Masala Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 96

Day 96, Thursday, January 23, 2025, Suwannee Music Park & Campground, Live Oak, FL, Day 8 - 0 Miles, 3,377.8 Miles for the Trip

Another cold night, going down to 29°F. It warmed up more quickly than yesterday; 38°F by noon, and lots of sunshine. I had to chip 3" of ice from the bottom of the truck's windshield. 

Around 2:30 I decided to hook up the truck & dump while it was warm (46°F). Coming back I pulled in facing the road so I didn't need the extension cord for the electric hookup. I how have a new neighbor with a Weimaraner dog. Very friendly, unlike the pair on the estate I worked on when in college. Those two loved to sneak up on you and bite. The neighbor is here for a 50 mile bike race. A couple more trailers arrived as well as a large Class A motorhome.

Otherwise, another afternoon of not doing much. This week has been one where I wouldn't mind a 32' trailer with all the stuff that comes with a stick built trailer. Even a 21' fiberglass trailer "shrinks" with days inside. While it made it up to 48°F by the end of the day, it is still too cold to sit outside. Then again, I sure wouldn't want to haul a typical trailer, and watching it fall apart year by year would get tiresome. 

Current book is House Secrets by Mike Lawson, #4 in the Joe DeMarco series.

Dinner was an Amy's Enchilada Bowl.

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 95

Day 95, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, Suwannee Music Park & Campground, Live Oak, FL, Day 7 - 0 Miles, 3,377.8 Miles for the Trip

An interesting night. I fell asleep around 11:00 and it was 33°F with light mixed rain & ice. Woke up around 4:00 and the furnace was running. I had set it at 60°F as a back up to the electric heater, and the area power was off. I upped the thermostat to 62°F and went back to sleep. The outside temperature was down to 29°F. Power came on around 10:30AM, and the temperature is 30°F. I feel for the folks across the way in a Lil Snoozy - it is an all electric trailer, but at least the power is back. 

I wore an extra layer or two for my morning walk. There are 5 trailers and a Class C here in the campground all bundled up with no one cooking breakfast outside. A thin layer of snow & ice on the ground, picnic tables and my truck. 

A Little Snow

Gone by 4:30

Mostly overcast, though a few minutes of sun a little before noon. Still only 31°F outside.

Around 1:00 it finally hit 32°F. While it isn't raining, there is the pitter patter of drops on the roof from melting ice on the trees. The high for the day was 35°F. 

My previous next door neighbor stopped by to say goodbye to the folks in the Lil Snoozy & me before they headed south. Sure glad I'm not running ahead of schedule. The town of Milton (still in the Florida panhandle) three stops away got a record 9" of snow last night. I'm sure it will be melted before I get here on February 6th.

Not much else going on other than the weather. I'm reading and listening to the same books and sitting in the trailer keeping warm. The snow is mostly gone, but the dripping on the roof is still going.

Dinner was the last frozen batch of turkey chili.

Until Next Time - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 94

Day 94, Tuesday, January 21, 2025, Suwannee Music Park & Campground, Live Oak, FL, Day 6 - 0 Miles, 3,377.8 Miles for the Trip

While freezing morning temperatures were predicted, it stayed at 38°F most of the night and went down to 34°F by morning. It appears that 47°F at 3:30 was the high for the day. The predictions of 4" of snow & 1/2" of ice has changed to 1" of snow & 1/10" of ice. My neighbor (I only have 2) changed his site because there are good sized dead branches over his trailer and 1/2" of ice might be enough to bring some of them down. Now that the prediction is down to 1/10" he wishes he didn't make the change. I have a few trees above my site, but the branches look OK.

After breakfast i headed to the Field Laundromat. It had the best on line recommendations of the three in Live Oak. I'd hate to see the other two. Field Laundromat has no chairs, two small wooden folding tables, and many out of order machines. Dirty concrete floors and no bathroom. On the other hand it is inexpensive, $2.25 for a double load front loading washer, 8 minutes per quarter for the large dryers, and a working change machine. 

I watched the slowest "folding & packing" of a dryer load of clothes I've ever seen. The guy folded each item a couple of times until he was satisfied, stacked them until the entire load was folded, then moved them (the individual pieces of laundry, not the stacks) one at a time into a large carrying bag. He refolded each piece to fit in the bag. It took well over half an hour while other folks waited to get a chance to fold their stuff. Luckily, he was done before my clothes were dry.

I finished The Midnight Man, and took a break from Loren D. Estleman and started House Rules by Mike Lawson, # 3 in his DeMarco series.

Dinner was a Chef Ramsay Lemon Caper Chicken Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 93

Day 93, Monday, January 20, 2025, Suwannee Music Park & Campground, Live Oak, FL, Day 5 - 0 Miles, 3,377.8 Miles for the Trip

The morning low was 33°F and the high for the day was 43°F. While I can keep the inside of the trailer about as warm as I want (during the day I set the thermostat at 70°F, and at night at 65°F which keeps the head of the bed at 63°F), when it gets below 40°F outside it feels cooler in the trailer, probably because the walls & window frames are cool. 

With all the activity of extending & changing campground reservations, I didn't make my usual afternoon phone calls until after dinner. All are well, although I discovered that my late wife's sister Jean died in June at the age of 84. Both my son in Oswego & the Guidos in Binghamton are expecting daytime temperatures in the teens with windchill below zero, so I can't really complain about the low 30's here. On top of that Kyle is expecting 1' or so of lake effect snow in Oswego over the next 2 days. Here we are still expecting rain, although there is a winter weather advisory stating up to 1" of snow & 1/2" of ice by Wednesday morning. I prefer my other weather app which calls for rain.

I went to Walt's Ford around 10:30 & they replaced the fuse panel cover, picked up their electrical tester they left in the truck, and checked the check engine light for a code. It was a general code for a bunch of things, none of which was catastrophic, and after resetting it, they couldn't get the truck to throw another one. So, by 12:30 I was back at the campground with no charge for the truck. While long waits, I have to give thanks to Service Advisor Gene Nelson for getting me in two different days without appointments.

Since I skipped my morning walk to go to the Ford dealer, I did it when I got back. Only a few of us left here in the campground, most waiting out the snow before driving north or west. I unhooked from the water faucet & will run on the fresh water tank even though the lowest prediction between now and Thursday is 30°F, something my hose should survive. 

I took a photo of the new site (35A). The sand is more like dirt, and it is a long run to the utilities (needed an extension for both the water & electric) for $40.79 per night. For some reason that is $5.00 cheaper than the earlier site. It probably would have been better to loop around the sites & pull in from the other direction - certainly would have made shorter runs to the utilities although I'd need to park the truck behind the trailer and block the road when hooking & unhooking. In any case, closer to the bathrooms & reasonably level (1" side to side & 1" drop on the tongue).

Site 35A

I spent the afternoon reading. Current book is #3 in the Amos Walker series by Loren D. Estleman, The Midnight Man, and still listening to The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton. 

Dinner was an Amy's Broccoli Pot Pie.

Until Next Time - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 92

Day 92, Sunday, January 19, 2025, Suwannee Music Park & Campground, Live Oak, FL, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 3,377.8 Miles for the Trip

The rain continued throughout the night, stopping around 7:00AM. It was warm, around 60°F all night & morning. No breakfast at the VIP building this morning; Southland RV canceled, so it was breakfast & coffee in the trailer.

I did a walk to & around the Loop campground and found the biggest Scamp I've seen. Named XL Scamp, a 5th wheel double axle custom:

The Extra Large Scamp

I found a barber shop open on Sunday, and headed to the Futurecuts barbershop. A long wait, but a nice haircut $40.00. After that I headed to the bathroom in the Loop campground for a shower. 3 stalls, one communal dressing area open to the rest of the bathroom. 2 folding chairs as the only place to put your stuff. There was a double hook on the outside of the shower door. Plenty of adjustable hot water from a low volume 4" shower head. Overall, I'd rate it at a C.

Back at the trailer I watched the CornHole “Pro” Tournament warming up.

CornHole Warmups

I did find two unisex toilets in individual buildings across the road from my site here in the River Road camping area. Kind of like a pit toilet but flushes. Last night's rain must have leaked in - the one I checked had 1" of water covering the entire floor.

On the way back from the barber shop my check engine light came on. Of course I can't get it checked until tomorrow, when I'm suppose to leave. I checked with the campground office & no problem if I'm late getting out or even have to stay a couple of extra days, but I'm beginning to get tired of Fords.

My solution was to extend the stay here until Friday. I may not need that much time, but on Wednesday at Three Rivers State Park it is suppose to snow 3" and temperatures during the week hit the low 20's. Here it is rain & high 20's - low 30's. I did move to site 35A which is in the Loop campground and close to the bathrooms. I canceled the first 4 days of my stay at Three Rivers on line. Hope it worked.

Dinner was a Scott & Jon's Shrimp Scampi bowl.

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 91

Day 91, Friday, January 18, 2025, Suwannee Music Park & Campground, Live Oak, FL, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 3,377.8 Miles for the Trip

Over the weekend I'm attending the 9th Annual Florida Egg Rally & S’More Rally here at the park. This morning's breakfast was coffee, donuts & bagels supplied by Retro Renos. 

While it started yesterday, I waited until today to make a round of the camping areas for some photos.  I'll post a couple here, but many more at the rally webpage.

I made a panorama of the Loop campground where many of the folks are staying.  A large version here.

After my walk around I stopped at the VIP building for lunch provided by Skymed. This is a different rally from most that I've attended - quite commercially supported with various manufacturers with display areas, meals provided by them, as well as entertainment. There are also many workshops, etc throughout the park as well as food vendor trucks.

As far the predicted rain has held off although heavy clouds. While a couple of drops fell, until 1:30 there wasn't enough of them hitting the ground to connect to each other. Now it is raining hard enough to move inside. Still 63°F out.

There was light rain the rest of the afternoon, the temperature going down to 58°F. 

Dinner was the pot luck. As usual, plenty of food even with 150 folks eating. My one pie didn't make it to the end - should have made more.

Until Tomorrow - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 90

Day 90, Friday, January 17, 2025, Suwannee Music Park & Campground, Live Oak, FL, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 3,377.8 Miles for the Trip

While it started out at a cool 35°F this morning, by 2:00 it hit 60°F. There is a breakfast sponsored by various companies in the VIP center each day, a building across from my site. Coffee & pastries this morning in the unheated building (well there were a couple of propane towers).

Breakfast

I got a call from Walt's Ford around 9:30 that my part was in, so I headed over. Took about 2 hours & $512.64 to fix the tail gate. Since I didn't think I spent enough money with them, and it was due in 300 miles, I also had an oil change. I actually got it changed twice. I asked for full synthetic, and the service rep caught that they installed their regular oil. He had them drain it & refill with synthetic.

Since it was nice out, when I got back I sat outside in my folding chair and enjoyed the sun. 

I finally finished listening to the Fire Weather audio book by John Vaillent, and started listening to The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton. I also finished Loren D. Estelman's Motor City Blues, #1 in the Walker series (there are 33 of them, all quick reads) and started the second book in the series Angel Eyes.

I went to the cafe for dinner. Not terribly popular; I was the only one here. Had popcorn shrimp & fries. $12.00 or so.

After getting back to the trailer I started a blueberry pie for the pot luck tomorrow.

Until Tomorrow - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 89

Day 89, Thursday, January 16, 2025, Suwannee Music Park & Campground, Live Oak, FL - 224.5 Miles, 3,377.8 Miles for the Trip

I got an early (for me) start leaving at 9:30. a 2 minute wait at the dump station, a short drive through the outskirts of Savannah, then on to I 95 to I 10. All interstate driving today which made the 225 miles go by quickly. I arrived at Suwannee Music Park around 2:00, signed in & followed a golf cart to my site. Site 230 is squeezed in with 230B. It is hard to tell where one ends and the other starts, but there is an Escape 21NE in 230B. One interesting fact - no bathrooms in the River Rod camping area (where site 230 is located). $45.94 per night for a water & electric on sand. Needed 2" correction side to side & 1" rise on the tongue. 

Sites 230B & Me in 230

I had an "interesting" discovery when I was setting up. Went to unlock the F 150 tailgate & no click & it didn't open. There is a rigid tonneau cover with the releases inside the bed so I couldn't get at anything inside. Tried a few things, then gave up and headed 7 miles to Walt's Ford in Live Oaks. They were very helpful; managed to get the tailgate open, determined that the electric opening module was bad, disconnected it so while I can't lock it, I can open & close the tailgate. The replacement module plus labor will run around $550.00 and should arrive tomorrow. 

By the time I got back to the trailer it was time for dinner, and since it was still 62°F out (with a high of 65°F) and since there is a picnic table on a corner of the site, I got out the grill and cooked a Butterball turkey burger. That and a salad was dinner.

Until Tomorrow - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 88

Day 88, Wednesday, January 15, 2025, Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA , Day 8 - 0 Miles, 3,153.3 Miles for the Trip

Quite a few empty sites during my morning walk. 47°F, with a high of 53°F. A little after lunch I headed to Publix to pick up the stuff for a blueberry pie. I'm not sure I'll attend the pot luck on Saturday, but want to be ready if it happens. 

Back at the trailer I headed for a shower. Rather than the cold individual rooms in the area 1 bathroom, I headed for the one I used when I was in area 4. I gave it a lousy rating, but this time I used the disabled shower. The same stiff shower curtain & high pressure, low volume shower head but the drying area is huge; large enough that the floor remains dry. 5 hooks, however 4 of them are so close to the shower that stuff hanging on them is going to get wet. There is a small bench and it is far enough from the shower that it doesn't get wet. A soap dish in the shower.

The building is a bit too cool for comfort, although not as cold as the individual rooms in the other building. I remember a conversation I had with a fellow camper on one of my trips to the southwest. He carried a ice pack in his freezer and if the bathroom temperature was too cool for a shower he placed it on the metal cage around the thermostat. While I never tried it, he said it worked well. It even worked to turn down the air conditioning if the summer temperatures were too cool. And I thought my carrying around my own shower head was pushing it!

Anyhow, I'd have to up my rating of the shower as long as you use the disabled stall. I'll give it a B.

Back at the trailer because I'm leaving in the morning on a 224 mile drive, and the site is level, I hooked up to the truck. The only thing I need to do in the morning is put away the door mat & store the power cord.

I finished Floating Dragon by Peter Straub and started Sinister Heights by Loren D. Estleman, #15 in the Amos Walker series. A wonderful series of detective books.

Dinner was the other half of the Knoor Creamy Pesto pasta with the added chunks of chicken.

Until Tomorrow - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 87

Day 87, Tuesday, January 14, 2025, Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA , Day 7 - 0 Miles, 3,153.3 Miles for the Trip

Not as warm as the last couple of nights, but still 40°F at 7:00AM. By 2:00 it made it up to 51°F, the warmest in the last week or so. 

I checked my weather app and the temperatures at Roland Cooper State Park were in the teens with highs in the low 30's. While my schedule has me there in early February, it is still quite a bit cooler than the current temperatures of campgrounds on both sides of the stop. So, I made reservations further south. I'll now be staying at Wandering Oaks RV Park in Milton, FL. Not warm, but not in the teens. I canceled Roland Cooper early enough that I only lost the reservation fee of $5.25.

When I did the first calculations for drive distances, I found it added 800 miles between stops. Seems there are a couple of Wandering Oaks RV Parks, including another one in Florida. The one added to my Trip Wizard route was in Texas. I moved it to the one in Milton, FL and it is back to my preferred driving distances. Hope it warms up by February.

Not much else going on today. I did my usual walks, found a Casita, and the Oliver is still here. The park has a wide range of RVs from huge class A's to class B vans. While the warmest has been in awhile and sunny, not many sitting outside. I'm inside reading. Around 4:00 it reached today's high of 53°F. 

Dinner was Knoor Creamy Pesto pasta with a chicken thigh from the freezer.

Until Tomorrow - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 86

Day 86, Monday, January 13, 2025, Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA , Day 6 - 0 Miles, 3,153.3 Miles for the Trip

I guess putting flannel sheets on the bed did help with nighttime temperatures. It only went down to 42°F last night. A light rain started around 6:00AM and continued light to medium throughout the early morning. By 10:00 it stopped & I packed up the trailer for the move to site 18. I set up first. A level site that I wouldn't need to unhook, but I have to find a post office, stop at the campground office & do a little food shopping. Similar to site 54; a tent pad, fire pit, and picnic table on dirt rather than the gravel of site 54. Water & electric for $39.38 per night. The site is midway between the two bathrooms; a little further to the one at the start of areas 3 & 4 that I used in the past, but worth the walk if you are going to shower. Even though I gave it a poor rating, the bathrooms that are "officially" for my new area 1 are individual rooms with a sink, toilet & shower, but they are either unheated or barely heated, and they stink.

Site 18

After setting up I went to the office to get a refund for my discount and a site sticker, then to Publix & the post office. The post office is in the corner inside a local pharmacy. The island reminds me of Nantucket in some ways - fancy stores, fancy cars, and what are probably very expensive homes. The store & post office are only a mile and a half from the campground.

After looking at a sign in the shopping area I realized that it is Skidaway Island, not Skidway Island. I fixed the web pages and Blogger posts. That also explains why Trip Wizard couldn't find it when I searched for Skidway.

Still reading Floating Dragon by Peter Straub.

Dinner was a Lean Cuisine Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo bowl.

Sorry this is late - for some reason it didn't post yesterday.

Until Tomorrow - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 85

Day 85, Sunday, January 12, 2025, Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA , Day 5 - 0 Miles, 3,153.3 Miles for the Trip

Boy I'm getting tired of saying this, but another cool night; down to 31°F. The high for the day was 47°F. During my morning walk I saw an Oliver in Area 3. I'll be moving there tomorrow. Of course it is suppose to be raining.

An Oliver

After lunch I decided to do laundry. There is only one working washer but two dryers. Someone had a load in the washer, but I sat in one of the comfortable chairs and waited. She showed up within minutes of the load finishing. I needed two loads so it took a bit longer. Her dryer still had 25 minutes on it when she left and my second load finished 10 minutes later so I got 15 minutes of extra drying time. Still needed a full cycle to dry the clothes even on high heat. 

The washer & dryer are on an app, but it is a different one from the one at the Trolley Stop RV park. I didn't need it because each machine had a credit card reader attached. I could have used quarters, but as long as the card worked I saved them for next time.

I changed the sheets before doing laundry, put the flannel sheets on the bed, so that should make the overnight temperatures go up. I made my usual Sunday phone calls and everyone is doing well. The Guidos got the quote from Scamp to repair their trailer - $5,000. Their insurance already wrote them a check and will go after AAA for a reimbursement. David is hanging out in his new house in the Catskills - too cold to do much outdoors, and Kyle has still only needed to snow blow once so far this Winter.

Since I'm moving tomorrow, I unhooked the water hose & will run on the on board fresh water tank for the night. That saves rolling up a near frozen hose (although at 47°F it wasn't all that flexible this afternoon).

Dinner was a Healthy Choice Lemon Parmesan Chicken dinner.

Until Tomorrow - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 84

Day 84, Saturday, January 11, 2025, Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA , Day 4 - 0 Miles, 3,153.3 Miles for the Trip

While I said yesterday the high was 44°F, it kept getting warmer after dinner (and my posting). 46°F at 7:15. A very light rain is falling. I can't hear it on the roof of the trailer, but when I went out I could feel it on my head. It kept warming up, hitting 52°F at 4:00AM, then dropped like a shot to 41°F by 5:10AM as the front went through. Light rain off & on all night, ending around 7:00AM. 

While it isn't raining, there is heavy cloud cover and a damp feel to the air. The "Feels Like" is a couple of degrees colder than the actual temperature. Around 3:45 the sun peaked out. Still only 43°F.

I finished The Ferryman by Justin Cronin, and started Floating Dragon by Peter Straub.

Dinner was a Chef Ramsay Chicken Marsala Pasta Bowl.

Until Tomorrow - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 83

Day 83, Friday, January 10, 2025, Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA , Day 3 - 0 Miles, 3,153.3 Miles for the Trip

While my water hose didn't freeze, it was close with a low of 31°F overnight. The high for today was 44°F.

I had a quick breakfast then headed to one of the Savannah Mavis tire stores to have my Goodrich KO2's replaced. They had 51K miles on them, and probably could have done another 10K, but that would still be before the KO3's were available in my size, and I don't expect to keep the truck for another 50K miles. A long wait for the tires to be installed - 2 1/2 hours. 

After the tires I headed to a Savannah Walgreens for my latest prescription and a card for my brother's birthday. Of course I arrived at 1:30 when they go on their lunch break, but they opened right at 2:00. There was a Publix next door so I stopped and picked up some stuff.

Back at the trailer I went for my morning walk that I skipped to get my tires, and checked out the laundries. There is one in each bathroom, 2-3 washers & dryers. $2.50 to wash & $2.00 to dry. Depending on whether the predicted rain hits, I'll do laundry tomorrow or Sunday. The campground is officially full, with a sign at the entrance station. I only saw one empty site on my walk. The Escape 19 has been replaced with a large 5th wheel.

I finished Brian Garfield's Hopscotch, and started The Ferryman by Justin Cronin.   I finally finished listening to Boy's Life by Robert Cammon, and started Fire Weather by John Vaillent.

Dinner was Scott & Jon's Shrimp Alfredo bowl.

Until Tomorrow - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 82

 Day 82, Thursday, January 9, 2025, Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA , Day 2 - 0 Miles, 3,153.3 Miles for the Trip

A little warmer last night; it only went down to 31°F. They divided the campground into 4 areas, I'm in area 4. During my morning walk I went through areas 4 & 3, resulting in .57 miles. Doing the entire park is probably over a mile.

Looking out my kitchen window while making breakfast a saw a family of deer in the brush across the site. Hard to see, but there are 2 in the photo, one on each side of the tree. The right side one is easy, not so the left. You may need the large image to see them. At least 3 in the herd.

Two Deer

Still way too cool to sit outside, 38°F at 12:40. There have been a few walkers going by the trailer, most in winter coats, hats & gloves. At least 4 RVs left this morning; as soon as they go a host or volunteer cleans up the site, turns off the breakers, etc. The campground is well kept up. An amazing amount of Spanish moss hanging from the trees. 

The main road down the center of the campsites is wide enough for two way traffic, but the narrow & twisty through the trees site roads are also 2 way but barely wide enough for going one way. If two folks meet, one must find a place to pull off so the other can pass. It would really be tough if both were towing large trailers or a motorized RV towing a dinghy. The road needs to be two way because the pull through sites are loops on either side of the road & the only way you can have your utilities on the right side of RV is to drive in in the direction that works for your side of the road.

I checked my weather app, and even though is is still cool today, it isn't suppose to be below freezing until after I leave. So, I hooked up to the dripping faucet & am back on city water.

Around 3:00 I decided it wasn't going to get much warmer (43°F) and headed to the bathrooms for a shower. The good - plenty of adjustable hot water & a heated bathroom. The bad - a narrow shower head with high pressure low volume spray, no shelf in the shower, the entire drying area floor gets soaked by water that makes it under & around the stiff shower curtain. Even the top of the bench (that sticks into the shower) in the drying area gets soaked. Actually, you won't mind dipping the bottoms of your pants into the water on the floor as you get dressed because you are going to discover that both your shirt & pants will be soaked by the spray that makes it around the shower curtain and sprayed the clothes on the wall hooks. Overall, a D+, or maybe a C- because the bathroom is heated. I've been in many out west that didn't have heat even when the temperatures were in the 30's.

Dinner was an Amy's Chile Relleno Bowl.

Until Tomorrow - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 81

Day 81, Wednesday, January 8, 2025, Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA - 156.6 Miles, 3,153.3 Miles for the Trip

The polar vortex continues. 28°F this morning at Little Ocmulgee State Park. I actually had to scrape ice off the shaded side of the windshield even though I waited until 11:00 to leave. It did warm up on the drive to Skidway Island State Park to a high for the day of 56°F. Most of the drive was on I 16.

The park is near full. I'm is site 54 for the next 5 days, then I'll move to site 18. Site 54 is a water & electric site with a picnic table, fire ring & tent pad. The site is a pull through on gravel. $39.38 per night with a senior & vet discount and taxes. Most of the sites are pull through, some with sewers. The heated bathrooms are a medium walk away. During a walk around the campground I found an Escape 19, the first Escape since leaving Hungry Mother in October.

Site 54

The Escape 19

A Cabin

They have yurts, and cabins as well as the campsites, but no hotel or restaurant. Lots of warnings to leave a faucet (there are two at each site) dripping - predicted low for tonight is 28°F. I hooked up water long enough to do some dishes, then disconnected it. I don't think freezing would break my hose since it appears to be some kind of PEX, but I didn't want to take the chance and if it froze I would need to use the on board tank anyway.

I checked both Verizon & AT&T for data speeds. AT&T showed 20.27Mbps down & .4Mbps up (although the photos for today's page loaded fast enough). Verizon was faster at 36.96Mbps down & 1.89Mbps up. Since AT&T was on the last day of the cycle (at 67GB used), and there is lots of tree cover, I didn't bother checking the Starlink Mini, but went with AT&T.

Dinner was a bowl of my homemade turkey chili from the freezer and some Blue Bell strawberry ice cream for dessert. I know the folks from Texas swear by Blue Bell ice cream, but Tillamook from Oregon is by far smoother & creamier. 

Until Tomorrow - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 80

Day 80, Tuesday, January 7, 2025, Little Ocmulgee State Park, McRae, GA, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 2,996.7 Miles for the Trip

The polar vortex has reached McRae. 30°F last night, and only 37°F at noon. I did my morning walk with a knit hat, winter coat & gloves. There are only 5 RVs in the campground, of which at least 3 are hosts. Lots of sun, but it isn't doing much to warm things up. My little electric heater is working hard, but so far the propane furnace, which is set 2°F lower than the electric heater hasn't come on. The high for the day was 48°F.

All the faucets in the campground are dripping. The hosts did that to keep them from freezing. While I didn't hook up my water and am running on the on board water tank, my faucet is one of the few that are true frost proof - no need to drip it. I still didn't hook up because my hose would freeze overnight. 

I finished Mike Lawson's The Inside Ring, and downloaded the second in the series, The Second Perimeter. This one allowed downloading to Kindle. No idea how long I'll stick with the series - there are 14 of them. Still listening to Boy's Life by Robert McCammon. I only have 8 days left on the loan, but there are only 2 hours left so I should finish it tomorrow between my morning walk and the drive to Skidway Island State Park.

Around 2:45 a large Class A towing a jeep from Pennsylvania pulled into the campground, so now there are 6 of us in a campground with 60 sites. Around 3:30 I took a bag of trash to the dumpsters and discovered a tent camper pulling a trailer filled with his stuff in one of the sites I couldn't see from mine, so now there are 7 of us here. 

The tent camper reminds me of my first camping trip - in 1950 my parents gathered my brother & sister & 5 year old me into a 1938 Plymouth pulling a homemade trailer filled with camping gear, and headed off on a summer long round trip to California and back from NY. That was when route 66 was RT 66. I only remember parts of it such as a miniature swamp cooler attached to the window of the car to help get us across the desert, the firefall in Yosemite, the waves of the Pacific Ocean, having my photo taken with an Indian, and playing with a bobcat kitten. Some of my dad's photos here. While the tent camper here has a much newer car & trailer, it brought back memories.

I called one of the Savannah Walgreens to have a prescription filled. A long time on hold (20 minutes) but I believe it will be ready on Friday. I wish I could re sync my prescriptions so all of them come due on the same day. My home Walgreens will do that, but not when I'm traveling. At one time I had them all together, but with changes & additions, I now have a bunch of different renewal dates.

Dinner was a Marie Callender's Orange Chicken Bowl.

Until Tomorrow - 

2024-25 Trip to the Southeast, Day 79

Day 79, Monday, January 6, 2025, Little Ocmulgee State Park, McRae, GA - 162 Miles, 2,996.7 Miles for the Trip

It started out as a warm night; 60°F when I went to bed at 10:00, but cooling off the rest of the night as well as the day. It didn't warm up until I hit Little Ocmulgee State Park where it was 53°F around 3:00. Most of the drive was on 2 lane roads with passing sections - US 82 & US 280 the main roads. I'm back on Eastern Time for the next couple of weeks so I lost an hour in the day and will probably wake up at the wrong time.

I'm in site 43, next to one of the bathrooms. It is heated. The site is full hookup on gravel, with a picnic table, fire ring & charcoal grill. 1" off side to side & a lift of the tongue of 1". At this park you need to go to the hotel office to sign in since they only take a partial payment when you register plus it is the only way you can get the senior discount. Total is $42.50 per night for two nights.

Site 43

I checked out AT&T and it showed 16.4Mbps down & .91Mbps up. Starlink was all over the place. First test was 96Mbps down & 3.45Mbps up, and a few minutes later 7.68Mbps down & 12.41Mbps up. Verizon was 55.77Mbps down & 2.97Mbps up. Since I have been using AT&T for the last 2 weeks, I decided to go with Starlink. I tried my new tripod. The tripod is nice, but neither the tripod itself or the adapter to the Mini has any tilting capability. While flat seems to work, the Starlink app wants me to tilt the panel. 

I finished House Blood by Mike Lawson and decided to read more of his DeMarco series, checked the NY Public library through Libby and downloaded the first of the series The Inside Ring written in 2005. The problem is it isn't in the Kindle format so I have to read it using Libby. My iPhone13 Pro is too small & my iPad Pro 16 is to big & heavy. I love the size & weight of the Kindle Paper White. I probably should pick up a smaller iPad, but is seems silly just to occasionally read a book.

Dinner was an Impossible Teriyaki Chicken Bowl.

Until Tomorrow -